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Hearing children of deaf adults experience stigma but show agency and resilience – new research
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- Hearing children of deaf adults (Codas) can experience stigma and discrimination because of their association with their deaf parents.
- Research highlights the significant resilience and agency of children of deaf adults, including efforts to protect their parents from prejudice.
- Researchers call for greater recognition of children of deaf adults in research, policy and family services.
Hearing children of deaf adults can experience stigma, discrimination and social exclusion because of their association with their deaf parents, while also demonstrating significant resilience and agency in responding to prejudice, a new study has found.
The research, led by University College Cork (UCC) researchers, examines the experiences of hearing children of deaf adults, known as Codas, and highlights the need for their experiences to be better recognised in family services, social policy and research.
An ‘overlooked’ group caught between deaf and hearing worlds
Despite United Nations commitments to children’s rights, inclusion and reducing inequalities, Codas remain largely invisible within family services and children’s advocacy networks, particularly in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Codas are hearing children who have at least one deaf parent. While an estimated 90% to 95% of children born into deaf-parented families are hearing, researchers say this population remains largely invisible in official statistics and can be overlooked by services because Codas are assumed to belong to the hearing majority.
The narrative review examined Codas’ experiences of “courtesy stigma”, also known as indirect stigma or stigma-by-association. This occurs when people experience prejudice because of their association with someone who is socially stigmatised.
Prejudice towards deaf parents can affect their hearing children
The findings show that Codas can encounter stereotyping and negative assumptions about their deaf parents across educational, public and professional settings. For some, exposure to these attitudes can contribute to feelings of shame, identity tension and social isolation.
However, the review also found significant evidence of resilience and agency. Codas employ strategies to respond to prejudice and protect their parents, including mediating interactions with hearing people, shielding parents from derogatory comments and, in some circumstances, selectively concealing aspects of their family identity to avoid anticipated stigma.
Their bilingualism, knowledge of deaf culture and experience of navigating both deaf and hearing worlds can also become important sources of confidence and positive identity. Strong family relationships, positive parental attitudes towards sign language and connections with other Codas were identified as important factors supporting resilience.
Dr Noel O'Connell, Research Fellow at UCC School of Applied Social Studies and UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures, said: “Our review shows that growing up as a hearing child of deaf parents cannot be understood simply through a deaf-hearing binary. Codas can experience stigma because of how wider society responds to their parents, and they can take on an active role in navigating interactions between deaf and hearing worlds.”
“At the same time, Codas should not be defined by perceived vulnerability. Our research shows considerable resilience and agency. Codas can actively challenge prejudice, support their parents and draw strength from their bilingual and bicultural identities,” Dr Noel O'Connell said.
Moving beyond outdated assumptions about deaf-parented families
Early research on Codas, beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, was predominantly rooted in psychology, psychiatry and pathology, often examining the possible impact of parental deafness on children’s speech and language development.
From the 1990s onwards, research increasingly focused on the social and cultural realities of Coda lives, helping to challenge negative stereotypes about deaf parents and their hearing children. First-person accounts have also brought greater attention to Codas’ bilingual and bicultural experiences.
The new review builds on this shift by examining Coda experiences specifically through the framework of stigma.
UCC researchers found that growing up in a deaf-parented household is multifaceted. The researchers argue that Codas should therefore be recognised as a distinct social group whose experiences are not adequately captured by categorising them solely as hearing children.
The review calls for further research into how indirect stigma affects Coda wellbeing and for more inclusive approaches within social policy, education and family services.
Dr O’Connell said: “Services can overlook Codas because they are hearing, while attention understandably focuses on deaf parents or deaf children. This can mean the particular experiences of hearing children growing up in deaf-parented families are missed. Listening to Codas themselves is essential to developing policies and services that address stigma and discrimination while recognising the strengths and agency of deaf-parented families.”
The research was funded by Research Ireland under the SFI-IRC Pathway Programme 2022.
Professor John F. Cryan, Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC, said: “Congratulations to the CODA Project team at UCC on reaching this important milestone. This work demonstrates the value of research that not only advances our understanding of the lived experiences of children of deaf adults, but also identifies practical ways in which policy and public services can better support families. By bringing international evidence together and placing lived experiences of Codas at the centre, the team is making an important contribution to more inclusive policy and practice in Ireland and beyond.”